Terror At The Laundry Mat
by waikiki23
Summary: What happens to Johnny when the laundry mat he is at turns into a robbery and hostage situation? Complete! Please R & R!
1. Chapter 1

**This story came to me while I was in a laundry mat doing my clothes. Thanks to Soldier Heart for being a great beta reader.**

**I do not own the guys, but I promise to put them back the way I found them! Please read and review!**

As a rule of thumb, Johnny Gage hated laundry day. That entailed dragging all his clothes that were dirty to the laundry mat and spending too much time and money on something he hated doing.

On this particular day, much to his surprise, his laundry had been relatively smaller, thanks to the fact that he had to work a few extra shifts at work. This happened to be his day off that was given him after pulling so many shifts. As he was loading some of his wet clothes into one of the big dryers, his thinking of what he could do that evening after his laundry was done.

_I could call up Roy and see if I could go play with the kids. After all, I haven't been over there for a little while. I owe Chris a basketball game and Jenny a tea party. No wait, Roy's at work. I'm the only one who had the day off._

He smiled as his thoughts were on his partner's kids. He loved them as if they were his own. Roy DeSoto was his best friend, partner and brother and Roy's wife Joanne was like a sister to him. They were his only family, besides the guys at the station who were his brothers.

Johnny finished loading the dryer and shut the door. Just as he sat down to wait for the clothes to dry, he heard yelling from the front of the building. He looked up to see 2 men with ski masks on their faces and carrying guns run into the building. The one man began to shout, "Everyone on the floor, or everyone dies!"

Because all the patrons were to slow to obey the gunman's instructions and hit the floor, the two men began shooting randomly in the air and at the customers. Johnny saw a young woman go down near the front washing machines as a bullet hit her in the chest. Another woman went down as she was shot in the leg. The rest of the patrons were on the floor, some whimpering, others begging as the gunmen made their way around the room.

All Johnny could do was lie on the floor and pray to god the victims were going to be okay. He gasped when he saw a pair of shoes by his head. He heard the click of a gun near his head.

"Okay, any money, valuables, anything, put them in this sack," the gunman hissed.

Johnny obeyed, realizing there was nothing he could do to help the victims until the shooters had left the building. As he handed over his wallet and watch, the gunman caught sight of Johnny's fireman badge. He reacted like he had been shot.

"Oh shoot, a cop. Hal, we have a cop over here. You," he pointed at Johnny, "up. Now!"

Johnny stood up slowly. "Look man, I'm a firefighter/ paramedic with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. I'm not a cop, I swear," he said, holding his hands in the air.

"I don't believe you. Over by the wall, and if you so much as make one move, you've had it," the gunman named Hal said.

Before Johnny could reply, sirens were heard outside. Inside, Johnny was relieved. How the cops knew what was going on, he didn't know, just as long as they were here now. He could still hear whimpering and wondered if the two women shot were even still alive.

"Sam, what are we going to do? How did they know we were going to be here?" Hal asked, his gun still trained on Johnny.

"I don't know Hal. But I have to think of a way out of here. This cop may be the key," Sam said, motioning to Johnny with his gun.

"But would they let us go? I mean, we shot 2 people. This isn't a bank; it's a stupid laundry mat. We had to be stupid to think this would work.""Hal, would you shut up! I have to think. Keep an eye on our guest over here," Sam said, walking over to a set of dryers.

_**"You in the laundry mat! We have the place surrounded. Give yourselves up. You have no where to go. Let the hostages go,"**__ a voice said over a bullhorn._

Sam walked over to Johnny and grabbed him roughly by the arm. "Let's go, you're going to be my cover."

The two walked to the front of the building, Sam placing Johnny between him and the cops. Johnny was praying one of the cops would recognize him and be able to tell the shooter that he was not a cop. Johnny was praying that everyone would make it out alive. He jerked slightly as the gunman pulled him to a halt in front of the building. Sam still had his gun trained in Johnny's back.

"We are not giving up. There are 20 hostages in here, 2 of which are wounded. You decide what's important. If you try to come in after us, we start shooting hostages, starting with my shield right here," the gunman said, holding his gun to Johnny's head in front of the police. As he held the gun to Johnny's head, the gunman pulled Johnny back into the building.

Just as the door closed, shooting started in the laundry mat again. He was roughly pushed back against the wall as his other captor joined in the firefight.

Johnny was looking for a way out and trying to form a plan when a searing pain through his chest brought him out of his thoughts. His hands went instantly to his chest. _Warm, sticky, has to be blood._

He looked down at his chest as he slid down to the floor, back against the wall, unable to stand. As he placed his hands over his chest, the blood seeped around his fingers. The shouting and gunfire faded into the background as blackness began to overtake him. He tried to fight it, unable to. Johnny's world went black as he lapsed into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to all who have reviewed. I am glad you like the story so far. Thanks to Soldier Heart for being a great beta reader.**

"Hey Roy, where's your partner today? I got a call this morning to fill in for him," Charlie Dwyer asked as he entered the day room of Station 51. Mike Stoker and Chet Kelly were playing a game of checkers as Cap was enjoying his second cup of coffee over part of the newspaper.

"He was given the day off. He worked a few shifts for some over time. He worked four days in a row," Roy DeSoto replied from the couch. He was thankful he had Charlie Dwyer as his partner for the day instead of the walking rule book, Craig Brice.

"I bet he is going to either go home and sleep or go hiking," Marco Lopez said from table.

"No, actually he said something about having to do laundry. That means he will probably spend all this morning at the laundry mat," Roy said, going back to the newspaper he was reading.

"Sounds like fun, but…" Dwyer started to say, before the tone cut him off.

_"Station 51, Squad 110. Meet the police, 186 Wilshire Boulevard. One, eight, six Wilshire Boulevard. Cross street Arden Drive. Time out 9:23."_

The six men in the day room dropped everything they were doing and ran for their respective vehicles. Cap ran to the radio to acknowledge the call.

"Station 51 KMG 365," Cap replied as he wrote the address down and handed one slip to Roy and jogged around the front of the squad and got into the engine.

As Roy pulled the squad out of the station and onto the street, he had a nagging feeling that something was wrong, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. He pushed the feeling as he drove toward the call, the engine following him.

________________________________________________

Engine and Squad 51 pulled up behind the army of police cars. The nagging feeling Roy had turned into a full blown alarm. The police cars were outside of the laundry mat Johnny used.

Cap motioned for Mike, Marco and Chet to stand back as Roy and Dwyer followed him. They met up with the sergeant in charge.

Cap held his hand out to the sergeant, "Captain Stanley, Station 51. What do you have?"

"Sergeant Crandall. We have at least 2 suspects holed up in the laundry mat. Apparently they went in, held the place up, and then started shooting. We're not exactly sure why. We've only had contact with them once. One of the shooters brought out a young man as his shield, then went back in. Several more shots were heard. We haven't heard from them in about 5 minutes. We don't know how many people are inside or how many of them are injured."

Roy scanned the area, his eyes resting on a white Land Rover sitting a few hundred feet from the building. Roy tapped his captain on the shoulder. "Cap, we may have a small problem."

"What's that?" Cap asked, turning to face his senior paramedic.

"That looks like Johnny's Land Rover in the parking lot. Cap he was supposed to wash his laundry today," Roy said, feeling the color begin to leave his face.

"You sure?" Cap asked, worry creeping into his voice.

"Yeah Cap. He comes here."

"What's going on captain?" Sergeant Crandall asked, noting the exchange among the firefighters.

"Apparently, one of the firefighters under my command, who had the day off today, is here. He was doing his laundry," Cap replied, hoping his junior paramedic was not in the building. _Johnny, I hope you had the sense to stay home._

"By any chance, is he dark haired?" the sergeant asked, looking at the firefighters.

"Yeah, he is," Roy said, dread creeping into his heart. _Oh no, not Johnny._

"That's him, then; they think he's a cop. They must have seen his badge or something and assumed he was a cop. They were using him as a human shield."


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own the guys, but I promise to put them back they way I found them, although they may be a little worse for wear. Thanks again to Soldier Heart for being a great beta reader.**

Johnny opened his eyes slowly, blinking as the bright light hurt his eyes. He realized that his chest felt like it was on fire. He was aware that someone was at his side.

"So you're finally awake, huh? Okay, get up. You're our ticket out of here," Hal said, pulling Johnny roughly to his feet.

Johnny about hit the floor as the world tilted to the left and his legs about gave out on him. The gunman yanked him along. "Oh no, you are not going down. You're coming with me."

Johnny was helpless as he was drug back outside by the gunman. He just didn't have the strength to fight the guy. Even in his weak condition, Johnny knew he had lost a lot of blood. He managed to hold a hand to his bleeding wound as the gunman stopped Johnny and put him in front of him.

"Hey, all of you out there. If you want your friend here to live, this is how it goes. We go free, with a car and everyone stays back. You here me? If you don't, not only will your friend here have a hole in his chest, he'll have a hole in his head. You got that?" Hal asked, pointing the gun at Johnny's head again.

______________________________________________________

"They were using him for what?!" Roy asked incredulously.

"They were using him as a human shield. After that, there were more shots inside...," the sergeant trailed off as the front door to the laundry mat opened.

"Oh my god," was all Cap could say. He barely registered that Mike, Marco and Chet had moved beside him.

All the men watched as Johnny was drug out of the building and pushed in front of the gunman. The guys could do nothing as the gunman put his gun into the side of Johnny's head.

"Cap, he's injured," Dwyer said in a low voice, pointing out the dark red stain that was growing on Johnny's chest. Johnny had his hand over the wound.

"Dear God, it looks like he's been shot," Mike said quietly from Cap's side.

As the gunman finished his demands, Roy noticed that Johnny seemed to get paler as he started to slump.

"Cap, I don't think Johnny's going to be conscious much longer. Look," he said, pointing to his partner. Johnny's legs began to buckle underneath him, looking like a rag doll being drug behind a child.

As the gunman began to drag Johnny back into the building, Johnny collapsed to the sidewalk unconscious, leaving the gunman exposed. The police noticed this and took advantage of it. As the gunman began to panic, he took aim at Johnny. The police, however, took aim at him. One shot and the gunman was on the ground.

The crew of Station 51 was about to move in when the sergeant stopped him. "You can't go in yet. We have to secure the area; we still have one more gunman inside."

Just as the police were about to move in, the front window exploded as shots rang out, aimed towards the police.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank to everyone that has reviewed. Please read and reviews are very much welcomed. Thanks again to soldier heart for being my ever faithful beta reader.**

The firefighters dove for cover as the gunman continued shooting out the window. They stayed on the ground as the police returned fire.

"I hope he runs out of bullets soon. I don't think Johnny can last that long," Roy said, concern growing for his injured partner. He was on the ground next to Cap and Mike; Chet, Charlie and Marco behind them.

"I hope so too. Having bullets whizzing overhead isn't exactly the fun I envisioned today," Charlie said, burying his head into his arms.

The shooting continued for several more minutes, the bullets taking out police car windows and windshields. Suddenly, the area went eerily quiet.

"I hope we either got him or he's out of ammunition," Sergeant Crandall said as he leaned over the top of his patrol car, gun aimed toward the building. A couple of officers inched their way over to the first gunman, who was still on the ground and not moving.

A minute later, a few uninjured patrons came running out of the building. The officers led them over to where Sergeant Crandall and the firefighters were.

"Are all of you alright?" the sergeant asked as the patrons were helped to the ground and the paramedics looked them over.

"We're fine. The other shooter is on the ground in there. I think he's dead. He went down after the other guy didn't come back," one young man said as he brushed some dirt off of his pants.

"Okay, you all stay here; we're going to have to get statements from you and have the paramedics check you out." He turned to the firefighters, "I just got the go ahead; the other gunman is down and there are 3 other injuries. That includes your partner. They're sending the other squads over here to take care of the patrons and a few of the ones inside," the sergeant said as he pulled out his notebook.

"Okay, thanks. We are going to head in," Roy said as he and Charlie jogged over to the squad. The pulled out their equipment and ran for Johnny; trailed by the engine ran past the damaged squad cars and police officers that were helping patrons and quickly made it to Johnny's side. Roy and Charlie laid down their equipment and both kneeled on either side of the injured paramedic. Johnny was still unconscious.

"God Johnny, why didn't you stay home today?" Roy asked himself quietly as he began to get Johnny's vital signs. Charlie had opened the biophone and was contacting Rampart.

"Rampart, this Squad 51, how do you read?"

"Charlie, vitals are BP 90/70, pulse 110 and thready, respirations 14 and labored," Roy said as he opened Johnny's blood-soaked shirt.

"Right, thanks."

_"This is Rampart, go ahead 51."_

"Rampart, we have a 29 year old male, victim of a gunshot wound to the chest. Vitals are BP 90/70, pulse 110 and thready, and respirations 14 and labored. Rampart be advised the victim is Johnny Gage." Charlie heard the gasps on the other end of the line; Early and Dixie were defiantly shocked.

_"51, what is the location of the wound?"_

Roy looked up at Charlie. "It's on the right side, about 4 inches from his collar bone and about 3 inches from his heart." _Dang it Johnny, 3 inches to the left and you wouldn't be here. _

Cap, Chet, Marco and Mike could do nothing except watch as Roy and Charlie tried to save the young paramedic's life. Cap turned as he heard sirens approaching. Four ambulances pulled in. Very quietly, Cap leaned over to Marco and whispered, "Marco, could you go get one stretcher for us?"

"Sure Cap," Marco replied, running for one of the ambulances.

Roy began to patch up the wound as Charlie grabbed the biophone again. "Rampart, the wound is on the right side of the chest, about 4 inches from the collar bone and 3 inches from the heart."

_"10-4, 51. Start and IV Ringers Lactate. Get him in here stat."_

"10-4 Rampart," Charlie said as he put the biophone down. As he and Roy finished dressing the bullet wound, Johnny began to come around. He began to struggle to sit up.

"Hey Johnny, stay still. Don't move around," Roy said to his thrashing partner. Johnny continued to flail around.

"Gage, stop moving," Cap said in his most authoritative voice.

Johnny stopped moving and opened his eyes. "What happened?"

"You my friend got shot," Charlie said as the ambulance attendants arrived next to the paramedics with a stretcher.

"Oh man, they held up the laundry mat. I remember someone dragging me outside after being shot, but the rest is fuzzy."

"You passed out after one of the gunmen dragged you outside as a human shield. You gave us quite a scare," Roy said as he and Charlie lifted Johnny to the stretcher.

"How bad?"

"Well," Roy started as they headed to the ambulance.

"Come on Roy. I want to know."

"Three inches to the left and we wouldn't be having this conversation."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to all who have been reading and reviewing my story. Sorry it has been a while on the update, my brother just got married and life is finally settling down. Thanks to Soldier Heart for being a great beta reader. So, please read and review!**

The whole way to the hospital, Roy noticed that Johnny was pretty much silent. He was really worried about his partner and friend. The ambulance arrived at the hospital and backed in front of the emergency department. The attendants got out and went around the back to open the doors of the ambulace. Roy jumped out of the back holding Johnny's IV as the attendants pulled the stretcher out.

Dixie met the group at the doors. "Room 3. How's he doing Roy?"

"So far, so good," Roy said as Johnny's stretcher was wheeled down the hall..

The attendants pushed the door open to room 3 as they pulled the stretcher into the room.

"How are you doing Johnny?" Joe Early asked as he helped transfer Johnny from the stretcher to the exam table. He was mildly surprised when no answer came.

"He's been conscious ever since we left the scene," Roy said, not sure why his partner was not asnwering. Joe was starting to check the wound as Roy hung the IV bag.

"Well, he is a very lucky guy. It looks like it missed the vital organs by inches. We're going to take you right up for surgery and get that bullet out," Joe told Johnny as Dixie checked vitals again.

"What are his chances?" Roy asked from beside the table. Roy had worried that he was going to loose his best friend and brother. _I came damn near close to loosing him today._

"If there's no complications, I'd say he'll be up and around in a few days. Now, John, we need to get you upstairs." Joe said as turned to leave the room.

"Thanks doc," Johnny said quietly, turning his head away from the door.. Joe motioned for Roy to follow him outside.

As soon as they were in the hallway, Joe turned to look at Roy. "Is something wrong Roy?"

"Not that I know of Doc, why?" Roy asked, leaning against the wall.

"I don't know, I can't put my finger on it. He seems to be too quiet for Johnny," Joe said.

"I guess it might be the fact that the gunman was using him for a human shield. That would get to anyone," Roy said quietly. He had seen the look of sheer panic on his partner's face when the gunman had dragged him outside.

"Yeah, that would do it. It's going to be a few minutes before we get him upstairs. You know him best Roy. Maybe he will open up for you." Joe suggested, looking at Roy.

"I'll try doc," Roy replied, heading back to room 3.

"Thanks Roy," Joe said, walking down the hallway to the nurse's staion.

Roy entered the room quietly, hoping to not disturb Johnny. _I almost lost my best friend and brother today. I don't know what I would have done if he had died. I think a piece of me would have died with him._

"Roy?"

Roy looked up to the brown eyes of his partner. "Yeah, Johnny?"

"Thanks for being there. I saw you guys when that nut dragged me out the second time." Johnny looked down, not wanting to meet Roy's eyes.

"What happened in there Johnny?"

"I was doing my laundry. I had just put my clothes in the dryer when I heard shouting up front. I saw two guys come in. They ordered us all to the floor. Then they started shooting. Once everyone was on the floor, they started going around and getting valuables off of everyone. When they got to me, they saw my badge with my wallet and assumed I was a cop. The one guy dragged me out the first time as a shield."

"That must have been scary," Roy said, feeling empathy for what Johnny had been through.

"It was. Then the guy dragged me back into the laundry mat.. I remember looking for a way out. You see, two women had been injured in the intial shooting, only I couldn't get to them. Any way, next thing I know my chest is on fire. I had been shot. I remember sliding to the floor, then nothing. I know I passed out because next thing I knew, I woke up and the one guy dragged me up and pushed me outside. You saw and heard the rest," Johnny said, emotions playing in his eyes and across his face. He grimaced in pain as he moved slightly on the table.

"Man, that's rough. Yeah, we came in the last part, when he brought you out. After you passed out, the second guy started shooting out the windows of the cop cars. We were on the ground, praying we could get to you," Roy said, watching Johnny closly. He saw Johnny's pain and hoped they would be taking Johnny to surgery soon.

"I was scared Roy. I have never been that scared in all my life. I honestly thought I was going to die in the laundry mat," Johnny said, his deepest emotions out in the open.

"I would be too. That's rough. You were brave Johnny. Not may men would have stood like that, injured and resolved not to give up," Roy said as Joe, two orderlies and Dixie entered.

"Johnny? We have to get you upstairs now," Dixie said, as the two orderlies transfered Johnny to a gurney.

"Okay Dixie. Thanks Roy, for everything," Johnny said as he was wheeled out of the exam room.

"Any time Junior. Any time.."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to all who reviewed. I'm glad you like my story! Please review!**

"So, when do you get sprung from here?" Roy asked his partner. He was sitting on the spare bed in Johnny's hospital room. Cap was sitting next to him, Chet and Marco in chairs near the window and Mike was standing near the door. They had all stopped by after their shift to visit Johnny. He had been in the hospital for over a week now, being moved from the ICU wing to the floor two days after his surgery.

"Doc says in the next few days. I just wish I could get some decent food. This hospital stuff they try to pass as food just doesn't cut it," Johnny replied trying to sit up a little more in the bed. He was still in some pain, but not as much as before.

"Well, don't tell Dixie but we snuck you in some McDonalds," Roy said, handing Johnny a bag of food.

"Yeah, I think she'd kill us," Cap said, laughing.

"Oh man, thanks guys. I'll need this to survive the rest of the time I'm here. I won't say anything, I promise," Johnny said, digging in the food bag and yanking out a burger and fries.

"By the way John, I grabbed your laundry from the dryers at the laundry mat yesterday. I already took them to your apartment," Chet said, quietly. He wasn't sure how Johnny would react to the thought of the laundry mat.

"Oh, hey thanks Chet. I appreciate that," Johnny said between mouthfuls. He noticed the looks on the guys' faces at the mention of the laundry mat. "What's wrong?"

"Well, we thought it would upset you to hear the words laundry mat, I mean, after all that happened," Marco replied.

Johnny sat quietly for a moment, looking at the 5 guys that had become like family to him. He remembered seeing the guys behind the police car, looking terrified when he had been brought out by the gunman. He also knew the two gunmen had almost killed three people, including himself, before they were killed by the police returning their gunfire. He had been glad it had been the guys to respond, his brothers in the line of duty, the ones he was proud to serve with.

"No, it doesn't bother me. I've come to terms with what happened. I mean it could have happened anytime, anywhere, anyplace to anyone. I'm just glad that you guys were there for me at the scene and have been here for me since I've been here in the hospital. It does give me nightmares, but I know they will go away after a while."

"I'm glad you feel that way John. Nothing that happened in that building was anything you could have prevented. And you weren't the cause of it," Cap said, leaning foreword a little bit. He was making sure that the youngest member of his crew knew that nothing was blamed on him; he knew how much Johnny beat himself up over things that cost a life.

"I know that Cap and I appreciate the concern."

"I'm glad you feel that way. If you ever need some one to talk to, my office door is always open, pal," Cap replied, leaning back.

"Thanks Cap; thanks guys. You all are really the best family I could have," Johnny said, wiping the single tear away that had fallen. He was moved yet again by the fact that the guys really did care for him.

"Yeah and Johnny," Mike started.

"What Mike?"

"Next time you need to do laundry, find a laundry mat that has a back door, okay?" Mike asked a twinkle in his eye. The others started laughing.

"Better yet, bring it to my house and you can use out machines," Roy said, joining in the laughter.

"I don't know about that one, pally," Johnny said, taking a bite of his burger and laughing.

"Don't know about what?" Roy asked, slightly confused.

"The way Chet plays practical jokes, I could end up at your house for a week doing laundry, since I have to go through so many uniforms."

They rest of the guys laughed heartily; they defiantly had the old Johnny back.

The End


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